第12章

类别:其他 作者:Olive Schreiner字数:10677更新时间:19/01/07 15:11:14
touslyfortheCauseinthesepositions。EvenMissAnthonyreceivednotonepennyofsalaryforallheryearsofunceasinglabor,andshewassopoorthatshedidnothaveahomeofherownuntilshewasseventy—five。Thenitwasaverysimpleone,andshelivedwiththeutmosteconomy。IdecidedthatIcouldearnmybareexpensesbymakingonebrieflecturetoureachyear,andImadeanarrange— mentwiththeRedpathBureauwhichleftmefullytwo—thirdsofmytimeforthesuffrageworkIloved。 Thiswasoneresultofmyall—nighttalkwithMissAnthonyinChicago,anditenabledmetocarryoutherplanthatIshouldaccompanyherinmostofthecampaignsinwhichshesoughttoarousetheWesttotheneedofsuffrageforwomen。Fromthattimeonwetraveledandlecturedtogethersocon— stantlythateachofusdevelopedanalmostuncannyknowledgeoftheother’smentalprocesses。Atanypointofeither’slecturetheothercouldpickitupandcarryiton——afortunatecondition,asitsome— timesbecamenecessarytodothis。MissAnthonywassubjecttocontractionsofthethroat,whichforthemomentcausedaslightstrangulation。Onsuchoccasions——ofwhichtherewereseveral——shewouldturntomeandindicateherhelplessness。ThenI wouldrepeatherlastsentence,completeherspeech,andafterwardmakemyown。 ThefirsttimethishappenedwewereinWashing— ton,and``AuntSusan’’stoppedinthemiddleofaword。Shecouldnotspeak;shemerelymotionedtometocontinueforher,andleftthestage。AttheendoftheeveningaprominentWashingtonmanwhohadbeeninouraudienceremarkedtome,con— fidentially: ``ThatwasanicelittleplayyouandMissAn— thonymadeto—night——veryeffectiveindeed。’’ ForaninstantIdidnotcatchhismeaning,northeimplicationinhisknowingsmile。 ``Veryclever,thatstranglingbit,andyourgoingonwiththespeech,’’herepeated。``Ithittheau— diencehard。’’ ``Surely,’’Iprotested,``youdon’tthinkitwasadeliberatething——thatweplannedorrehearsedit。’’ Hestaredatmeincredulously。``Areyougoingtopretend,’’hedemanded,``thatitwasn’taput—upjob?’’ Itoldhimhehadpaidusahighcompliment,andthatwemustreallyhavedoneverywellifwehadconveyedthatimpression;andIfinallyconvincedhimthatwenotonlyhadnotrehearsedtheepisode,butthatneitherofushadknownwhattheothermeanttosay。Weneverwroteoutourspeeches,butoursubjectwasalwayssuffrageorsomeramifica— tionofsuffrage,and,naturally,wehadthoroughlydigestedeachother’sviews。 ItissaidbymyfriendsthatIwritemyspeechesonthetipsofmyfingers——forIalwaysmakemypointsonmyfingersandhavemyfingersnamedforpoints。WhenIplanaspeechIdecidehowmanypointsIwishtomakeandwhatthosepointsshallbe。Mymentalpreparationfollows。MissAn— thony’smethodwasmuchthesame;butveryfre— quentlybothofusthrewoverallourplansatthelastmomentandspokeextemporaneouslyonsomethemesuggestedbytheatmosphereofthegatheringorbythewordsofanotherspeaker。 FromMissAnthony,morethanfromanyoneelse,Ilearnedtokeepcoolinthefaceofinterruptionsandofthesmallannoyancesanddisastersinevitableincampaigning。Oftenwewereabletohelpeachotheroutofembarrassingsituations,andoneincidentofthiskindoccurredduringourcampaigninSouthDakota。WewereholdingameetingonthehottestSundayofthehottestmonthintheyear——August—— andhundredsofthenativeshaddriventwenty,thirty,andevenfortymilesacrossthecountrytohearus。Weweretospeakinasodchurch,butitwasdiscoveredthatthestructurewouldnotholdhalfthepeoplewhoweretryingtoenterit,sowedecidedthatMissAnthonyshouldspeakfromthedoor,inorderthatthosebothinsideandoutsidemighthearher。Toelevateheraboveheraudience,shewasgivenanemptydry—goodsboxtostandon。 Thismakeshiftplatformwasnotlarge,andmen,women,andchildrenwereseatedonthegroundaroundit,pressingupagainstit,asclosetothespeakerastheycouldget。DirectlyinfrontofMissAnthonysatawomanwithachildabouttwoyearsold——alittleboy;andthisinfant,likeeveryoneelseinthepackedthrong,wasdrippingwithperspirationandsufferingacutelyundertheblazingsun。Everywomanpresentseemedtohavebroughtchildrenwithher,doubtlessbecauseshecouldnotleavethemaloneathome;andbabieswerecryingandfrettingonallsides。TheinfantnearestMissAnthonyfrettedmoststrenuously;hewasasturdylittlefellowwithafinepairoflungs,andhemadeitverydifficultforhertolifthervoiceabovehisdismalclamor。Sud— denly,however,hediscoveredherfeetonthedry— goodsbox,aboutonalevelwithhishead。Theywerecladinblackstockingsandlowshoes;theymovedaboutoddly;theyfascinatedhim。Withayelpofinteresthegrabbedforthemandbeganpinchingthemtoseewhattheywere。Hishowlsceased;hewashappy。 MissAnthonywasnot。Butitwasagreatrelieftohavethechildquiet,sosheboretheinflictionofthepinchingaslongasshecould。Whenendurancehadfounditslimitsheslippedbackoutofreach,andashisnewplaythingrecededtheboyutteredshrieksofdisapproval。Therewasonlyonewaytostophisnoise;MissAnthonybroughtherfeetfor— wardagain,andheresumedthepinchingofherankles,whilehisyelpssubsidedtocontentedmur— murs。Theperformancewasrepeatedhalfadozentimes。Eachtimetheanklesretreatedthebabyyelled。Finally,foronceattheendofherpatience,``AuntSusan’’leanedforwardandaddressedthemother,whosefacialexpressionthroughouthadshownacompletementaldetachmentfromthesitua— tion。 ``Ithinkyourlittleboyishotandthirsty,’’shesaid,gently。``Ifyouwouldtakehimoutofthecrowdandgivehimadrinkofwaterandunfastenhisclothes,Iamsurehewouldbemorecomfortable。’’ Beforeshehadfinishedspeakingthewomanhadsprungtoherfeetandwasfacingherwithfierceindignation。 ``ThisisthefirsttimeIhaveeverbeeninsultedasamother,’’shecried;``andbyanoldmaidatthat!’’Thenshegraspedtheinfantandleftthescene,amidgreatconfusion。Themajorityofthoseintheaudienceseemedtosympathizewithher。 Theyhadnotseentheepisodeofthefeet,andtheythoughtMissAnthonywascomplainingofthechild’scrying。Theirchildrenwerecrying,too,andtheyfeltthattheyhadallbeencriticized。Otherwomenroseandfollowedtheiratemother,andmanymengallantlyfollowedthem。Itseemedclearthatmotherhoodhadbeenoutraged。 MissAnthonywasgreatlydepressedbytheepi— sode,andshewasnotcomfortedbyapredictiononemanmadeafterthemeeting。 ``You’velostatleasttwentyvotesbythatlittleaffair,’’hetoldher。 ``AuntSusan’’sighed。``Well,’’shesaid,``ifthosemenknewhowmyanklesfeltIwouldhavewontwentyvotesbyenduringthetortureaslongasIdid。’’ Thenextdaywehadasecondmeeting。MissAnthonymadeherspeechearlyintheevening,andbythetimeitwasmyturntobeginallthechildrenintheaudience——andthereweremany——werebothtiredandsleepy。Atleasthalfadozenofthemwerecrying,andIhadtoshouttomakemyvoiceheardabovetheiruproar。MissAnthonyremarkedafterwardthatthereseemedtobeacontestbetweenmeandtheinfantstoseewhichofuscouldmakemorenoise。Theaudiencewasplainlygettingrest— lessunderthecombinedeffect,andfinallyamanintherearroseandaddedhisvoicetothetumult。 ``Say,MissShaw,’’heyelled,``don’tyouwantthesechildrenputout?’’ Itwasourchancetoremovethesadimpressionofyesterday,andIgraspedit。 ``No,indeed,’’Iyelledback。``Nothinginspiresmelikethevoiceofachild!’’ Ahandsomeroundofapplausefrommothersandfathersgreetedthisnobledeclaration,afterwhichtheblessedbabiesandIresumedourjointvocalefforts。Whenthespeechwasfinishedandwewerealonetogether,MissAnthonyputherarmaroundmyshoulderanddrewmetoherside。 ``Well,Anna,’’shesaid,gratefully,``you’vecer— tainlyevenedusuponmotherhoodthistime。’’ ThatSouthDakotacampaignwasoneofthemostdifficultweevermade。Itextendedoverninemonths;anditisimpossibletodescribethepovertywhichprevailedthroughoutthewholeruralcom— munityoftheState。Therehadbeenthreecon— secutiveyearsofdrought。Thesandwaslikepow— der,sodeepthatthewheelsofthewagonsinwhichwerode``acrosscountry’’sankhalf—waytothehubs;andinthemidstofthisdrypowderlaywith— eredtanglesthathadoncebeengrass。Everyonehadtheforsaken,desperatelookwornbythepioneerwhohasreachedthelimitofhisendurance,andthegreatstretchesofprairieroadsshowedinnumerablecanvas—coveredwagons,drawnbystarvedhorses,andfollowedbystarvedcows,ontheirway``BackEast。’’Ourtalkswiththedespairingdriversofthesewagonsareamongmymosttragicmemories。 Theyhadlosteverythingexceptwhattheyhadwiththem,andtheyweregoingEasttoleave``thewom— an’’withherfatherandtrytofindwork。Usually,withalookofdisgustathiswife,themanwouldsay:``Iwantedtoleavetwoyearsago,butthewomankeptsaying,`Holdonalittlelonger。’’’ BothMissAnthonyandIgloriedinthespiritofthesepioneerwomen,andlostnoopportunitytotellthemso;forwerealizedwhatournationowestothepatienceandcourageofsuchastheywere。 Weoftenaskedthemwhatwasthehardestthingtobearintheirpioneerlife,andweusuallyreceivedthesamereply: ``Tositinourlittleadobeorsodhousesatnightandlistentothewolveshowloverthegravesofourbabies。Forthehowlofthewolfislikethecryofachildfromthegrave。’’ Manydays,andinallkindsofweather,werodefortyandfiftymilesinuncoveredwagons。Manynightswesharedaone—roomcabinwithallthemem— bersofthefamily。Butthegreatesthardshipwesufferedwasthelackofwater。Therewasverylittlegoodwaterinthestate,andthepurestwaterwassobrackishthatwecouldhardlydrinkit。Themorewedrankthethirstierwebecame,andwhenthewaterwasmadeintoteaittastedworsethanwhenitwasclear。Abathwastherarestofluxuries。 Theonlyavailablefuelwasbuffalomanure,ofwhichtheodorpermeatedallourfood。Butdespitethesehandicapswewerehappyinourwork,forwehadsomegreatmeetingsandmanywonderfulexperiences。 WhenwereachedtheBlackHillswehadmoreofthisgenuinecampaigning。Wetraveledoverthemountainsinwagons,behindteamsofhorses,visit— ingthemining—camps;andoftenthegulliesweresodeepthatwhenourhorsesgotintothemitwasal— mostimpossibletogetthemout。IrecallwithspecialclearnessoneridefromHillCitytoCusterCity。Itwasonlyamatterofthirtymiles,butitwasthoroughlyexhausting;andafterourmeetingthatsamenightwehadtodrivefortymilesfartheroverthemountainstogettheearlymorningtrainfromBuffaloGap。ThetrailfromCusterCitytoBuffaloGapwastheonetheanimalshadoriginallymadeintheirjourneysoverthepass,andthedriveinthatwildregion,throughoutacold,piercingOctobernight,wasanunforgetableexperience。OurhostatCusterCitylentMissAnthonyhisbigbuffaloover— coat,andhiswifelentherstome。Theyalsoheatedblocksofwoodforourfeet,andwiththesepro— tectionswestarted。Afullmoonhunginthesky。 Thetreeswerecoveredwithhoar—frost,andthecold,stillairseemedtosparkleinthebrilliantlight。 AgainMissAnthonytalkedtomethroughoutthenight——ofthework,alwaysofthework,andofwhatitwouldmeantothewomenwhofollowedus;andagainshefiredmysoulwiththeflamethatburnedsosteadilyinherown。 Itwasdaylightwhenwereachedthelittlesta— tionatBuffaloGapwhereweweretotakethetrain。Thiswasnotdue,however,forhalfanhour,andeventhenitdidnotcome。Thestationwasonlylargeenoughtoholdthestove,theticket—office,andtheinevitablecuspidor。Therewasbarelyroominwhichtowalkbetweentheseandthewall。 MissAnthonysatdownonthefloor。Ihadafewraisinsinmybag,andwedividedthemforbreakfast。 Anhourpassed,andanother,andstillthetraindidnotcome。MissAnthony,herbackbracedagainstthewall,buriedherfaceinherhandsanddroppedintoapeacefulabyssofslumber,whileIwalkedrestlesslyupanddowntheplatform。Thetrainarrivedfourhourslate,andwheneventuallywehadreachedourdestinationwelearnedthatthemin— istersofthetownhadpersuadedthewomentogiveupthesuffragemeetingscheduledforthatnight,asitwasSunday。 Thisdisappointment,followingourall—dayandall—nightdrivetokeepourappointment,arousedMissAnthony’sfightingspirit。Shesentmeouttorentthetheaterfortheevening,andtohavesomehand—billsprintedanddistributed,announcingthatwewouldspeak。Atthreeo’clockshemadetheconcessiontoherseventyyearsoflyingdownforanhour’srest。Iwasyoungandvigorous,soI trottedaroundtowntogetsomebodytopreside,somebodytointroduceus,somebodytotakeupthecollection,andsomebodywhowouldprovidemusic——inshort,tomakeallourpreparationsforthenightmeeting。 Wheneveningcamethecrowdwhichhadassem— bledwassogreatthatmenandwomensatinthewindowsandonthestage,andstoodintheflies。 NightattractionswererareinthatDakotatown,andherewassomethingnew。Nobodywenttochurch,sothechurcheswereforcedtoclose。Wehadagloriousmeeting。BothMissAnthonyandI wereinexcellentfightingtrim,andMissAnthonyremarkedthattheonlythinglackingtomakemedomybestwasasickheadache。Thecollectionwetookuppaidallourexpenses,thechurchsingerssangforus,thegreataudiencewasinterested,andthewholeoccasionwasaninspiringsuccess。 Themeetingendedabouthalfafterteno’clock,andIremembertakingMissAnthonytoourhotelandescortinghertoherroom。IalsorememberthatshefollowedmetothedoorandmadesomelaughingremarkasIleftformyownroom;butI recallnothingmoreuntilthenextmorningwhenshestoodbesidemetellingmeitwastimeforbreak— fast。Shehadfoundmelyingonthecoverofmybed,fullyclothedeventomybonnetandshoes。 Ihadfallenthere,utterlyexhausted,whenIenteredmyroomthenightbefore,andIdonotthinkIhadevenmovedfromthattimeuntilthemoment—— ninehourslater——whenIheardhervoiceandfeltherhandonmyshoulder。 Afterallourwork,wedidnotwinDakotathatyear,butMissAnthonyborethedisappointmentwiththeserenityshealwaysshowed。Toherafailurewasmerelyanotheropportunity,andImen— tionourexperiencehereonlytoshowofwhatshewascapableinhergallantseventies。ButIshouldmisrepresentherifIdidnotshowherhumanandsentimentalsideaswell。Withallherdetachmentfromhumanneedsshehademotionalmoments,andofthesethemostsatisfyingcamewhenshewaslisteningtomusic。Sheknewnothingwhateveraboutmusic,butwasdeeplymovedbyit;andIre— membervividlyoneoccasionwhenNordicasangforher,atanafternoonreceptiongivenbyaChicagofriendin``AuntSusan’s’’honor。Asithappened,shehadneverheardNordicasinguntilthatday; andbeforethemusicbeganthegreatartisteandthegreatleadermet,andinthemomentofmeetingbecamefriends。WhenNordicasang,halfanhourlater,shesangdirectlytoMissAnthony,lookingintohereyes;and``AuntSusan’’listenedwithherowneyesfulloftears。Whenthelastnoteshadbeensungshewenttothesingerandputbotharmsaroundher。Themusichadcarriedherbacktohergirlhoodandtothesentimentofsixteen。 ``Oh,Nordica,’’shesighed,``Icoulddielisteningtosuchsinging!’’ AnotherexampleofherunquenchableyouthhasalsoaChicagosetting。DuringtheWorld’sFairacertainclergymanmadeanespeciallyviolentstandinfavorofclosingtheFairgroundsonSunday。 MissAnthonytookissuewithhim。 ``IfIhadchargeofayoungmaninChicagoatthistime,’’shetoldtheclergyman,``IwouldmuchratherhavehimlockedinsidetheFairgroundsonSundayoranyotherdaythanhavehimgoingaboutontheoutside。’’ Theclergymanwashorrified。``WouldyouliketohaveasonofyoursgotoBuffaloBill’sWildWestShowonSunday?’’hedemanded。 ``OfcourseIwould,’’admittedMissAnthony。 ``Infact,Ithinkhewouldlearnmoretherethanfromthesermonspreachedinsomechurches。’’ LaterthisremarkwasrepeatedtoColonelCody(``BuffaloBill’’),who,ofcourse,wasdelightedwithit。HeatoncewrotetoMissAnthony,thankingherforthebreadthofherviews,andofferingheraboxforhis``Show。’’Shehadnostrongdesiretoseetheperformance,butsomeofusurgedhertoaccepttheinvitationandtotakeuswithher。Shewasalwaysreadytodoanythingthatwouldgiveuspleasure,soshepromisedthatweshouldgothenextafternoon。Othersheardofthejauntandbeggedtogoalso,andMissAnthonyblithelytookeveryapplicantunderherwing,withtheresultthatwhenwearrivedatthebox—officethenextdaythereweretwelveofusinthegroup。Whenshepresentedhernoteandaskedforabox,thelocalmanagerlookeddoubtfullyatthedelegation。 ``Aboxonlyholdssix,’’heobjected,logically。 MissAnthony,whohadgivennothoughttothatslightdetail,lookedusoverandsmiledherseraphicsmile。 ``Why,inthatcase,’’shesaid,cheerfully,``you’llhavetogiveustwoboxes,won’tyou?’’ Theamusedmanagerdecidedthathewould,andhandedherthetickets;andsheledherbandtotheirplacesintriumph。Whentheperformancebe— ganColonelCody,aswashiscustom,enteredthearenafromthefarendofthebuilding,ridinghiswonderfulhorseandbathed,ofcourse,intheefful— genceofhisfaithfulspot—light。Herodedirectlytoourboxes,reinedhishorseinfrontofMissAn— thony,roseinhisstirrups,andwithhischaracteris— ticgestureswepthisslouch—hattohissaddle—bowinsalutation。``AuntSusan’’immediatelyrose,bowedinherturnand,forthemomentasenthusiasticasagirl,wavedherhandkerchiefathim,whilethebigaudience,catchingthespiritofthescene,wildlyapplauded。Itwasastrikingpicturethismeetingofthepioneermanandwoman;and,poorasIam,Iwouldgiveahundreddollarsforasnapshotofit。 OnmanyoccasionsIsawinstancesofMissAn— thony’sprescience——andoneofthesewasconnectedwiththedeathofFrancesE。Willard。``AuntSusan’’hadcalledonMissWillard,and,comingtomefromthesick—room,hadwalkedthefloor,beatingherhandstogetherasshetalkedofthevisit。 ``FrancesWillardisdying,’’sheexclaimed,pas— sionately。``Sheisdying,andshedoesn’tknowit,andnoonearoundherrealizesit。Sheislyingthere,seeingintotwoworlds,andmakingmoreplansthanathousandwomencouldcarryoutintenyears。 Herbrainiswonderful。Shehasthemostextraor— dinaryclearnessofvision。Thereshouldbeastenog— rapherinthatroom,andeverywordsheuttersshouldbetakendown,foreverywordisgolden。 Buttheydon’tunderstand。Theycan’trealizethatsheisgoing。ItoldAnnaGordonthetruth,butshewon’tbelieveit。’’ MissWillarddiedafewdayslater,withasudden— nesswhichseemedtobeaterribleshocktothosearoundher。 Of``AuntSusan’s’’reallyremarkablelackofself— consciousnesswewhoworkedclosetoherhadathousandextraordinaryexamples。Once,Iremem— ber,attheNewOrleansConvention,shereachedthehallalittlelate,andassheenteredthegreataudiencealreadyassembledgaveheratremendousreception。Theexercisesofthedayhadnotyetbegun,andMissAnthonystoppedshortandlookedaroundforanexplanationoftheoutburst。Itneverforamomentoccurredtoherthatthetributewastoher。 ``Whathashappened,Anna?’’sheaskedatlast。 ``Youhappened,AuntSusan,’’Ihadtoexplain。 Again,onthegreat``CollegeNight’’oftheBalti— moreConvention,whenPresidentM。CareyThomasofBrynMawrCollegehadfinishedherwonderfultributetoMissAnthony,theaudience,carriedawaybythespeechandalsobythepresenceofthevener— ableleaderontheplatform,brokeintoawhirlwindofapplause。Inthis``AuntSusan’’artlesslyjoined,clappingherhandsashardasshecould。``Thisisallforyou,AuntSusan,’’Iwhispered,``soitisn’tyourtimetoapplaud。’’ ``AuntSusan’’continuedtoclap。``Nonsense,’’ shesaid,briskly。``It’snotforme。It’sfortheCause——theCause!’’ MissAnthonytoldmein1904thatsheregardedherreceptioninBerlin,duringthemeetingoftheInternationalCouncilofWomenthatyear,astheclimaxofhercareer。Shesaiditaftertheunex— pectedandwonderfulovationshehadreceivedfromtheGermanpeople,andcertainlythroughoutherinspiringlifenothinghadhappenedthatmovedhermoredeeply。 ForsometimeMrs。CarrieChapmanCatt,ofwhosesplendidworkfortheCauseIshalllaterhavemoretosay,hadcherishedtheplanofforminganInternationalSuffrageAlliance。Shebelievedthetimehadcomewhenthesuffragistsoftheentireworldcouldmeettotheircommonbenefit;andMissAnthony,alwaysMrs。Catt’sdevotedfriendandad— mirer,agreedwithher。AcommitteewasappointedtomeetinBerlinin1904,justbeforethemeetingoftheInternationalCouncilofWomen,andMissAnthonywasappointedchairmanofthecommittee。 AtfirsttheplanofthecommitteewasnotwelcomedbytheInternationalCouncil;therewasevenasus— picionthatitspurposewastostartarivalorganiza— tion。Butitmet,aconstitutionwasframed,andofficerswereelected,Mrs。Catt——theidealchoicefortheplace——beingmadepresident。Asaclimaxtotheorganization,agreatpublicmass—meetinghadbeenarrangedbytheGermansuffragists,butatthespecialpleaofthepresidentoftheInternationalCouncilMissAnthonyremainedawayfromthismeeting。Itwasrepresentedtoherthatthein— terestsoftheCouncilmightsufferifsheandotherofitsleadingspeakerswerealsoleadersinthesuf— fragemovement。Intheinterestofharmony,therefore,shefollowedthewishesoftheCouncil’spresi— dent——tomygreatunhappinessandtothatofothersuffragists。 Whenthemeetingwasopenedthefirstwordsofthepresidingofficerwere,``WhereisSusanB。An— thony?’’andthedemonstrationthatfollowedthequestionwasthemostunexpectedandoverwhelm— ingincidentofthegathering。Theentireaudiencerose,menjumpedontheirchairs,andthecheeringcontinuedwithoutabreakfortenminutes。EverysecondofthattimeIseemedtoseeMissAnthony,aloneinherhotelroom,longingwithallherbighearttobewithus,aswelongedtohaveher。I prayedthatthelossofatributewhichwouldhavemeantsomuchmightbemadeuptoher,anditwas。 Afterward,whenweburstinuponherandtoldherofthegreatdemonstrationthemerementionofhernamehadcaused,herlipsquiveredandherbraveoldeyesfilledwithtears。AswelookedatherI thinkweallrealizedanewthatwhattheworldcalledstoicisminSusanB。Anthonythroughouttheyearsofherlongstrugglehadbeen,instead,thesplendidcourageofanindomitablesoul——whileallthetimethewoman’shearthadlongedforaffectionandrecognition。ThenextmorningtheleadingBerlinnewspaper,inreportingthedebateanddescribingthespontaneoustributetoMissAnthony,closedwiththesesentences:``TheAmericanscallher`AuntSusan。’Sheisour`AuntSusan,’too!’’ ThroughouttheremainderofMissAnthony’svisitshewasthemosthonoredfigureattheInter— nationalCouncil。Everytimesheenteredthegreatconvention—halltheentireaudienceroseandre— mainedstandinguntilshewasseated;eachmentionofhernamewaspunctuatedbycheers;andtheen— thusiasmwhensheappearedontheplatformtosayafewwordswasbeyondbounds。WhentheEm— pressofGermanygaveherreceptiontotheofficersoftheCouncil,shecrownedthehospitalityofherpeopleinacharacteristicallygraciousway。AssoonasMissAnthonywaspresentedtohertheEmpressinvitedhertobeseated,andtoremainseated,al— thougheveryoneelse,includingtheaugustladyherself,wasstanding。Alittlelater,seeingthein— trepidwarriorofeighty—fouronherfeetwiththeotherdelegates,theEmpresssentoneofheraidesacrosstheroomwiththismessage:``PleasetellmyfriendMissAnthonythatIespeciallywishhertobeseated。Wemustnotlethergrowweary。’’ Inherturn,MissAnthonywasfascinatedbytheEmpress。Shecouldnotkeephereyesoffthatcharmingroyallady。ProbablythethingthatmostimpressedherwastheabilityofherMajestyasalinguist。Receivingwomenfromeverycivilizedcountryontheglobe,theEmpressseemedtoaddresseachinherowntongue—slippingfromonelanguageintothenextaseasilyasfromonetopictoanother。 ``AndhereIam,’’mourned``AuntSusan,’’``speak— ingonlyonelanguage,andthatnotverywell。’’ AtthisBerlinquinquennial,bytheway,IpreachedtheCouncilsermon,andtheoccasiongainedacer—